Digital Transformation and Innovations on the Treatment of Substance Use Disorder During COVID-19 – Recent Evidence
Grade Level at Time of Presentation
Junior
Major
Business Information Systems
Minor
Business
Institution
Northern Kentucky University
KY House District #
67
KY Senate District #
24
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Xiaoni Zhang, PhD; Valerie Hardcastle, PhD; Gary Ozanich, PhD
Department
Institute for Health Innovation
Abstract
Introduction: In 2019, nearly 50,000 deaths were associated with opioid overdose (CDC Injury Center, 2020). The economic costs of substance use disorder (SUD) or opioid use disorder (OUD) could be costs of healthcare, lost productivity, addiction treatment, family assistance costs, and opioid-related crimes. There are many barriers for patients with SUD, such as inability to access clinicians for medication treatment, travel distance, childcare, the stigma associated with drug use, and the intensity of traditional OUD treatment. Digital transformations and innovations in healthcare (e.g. telemedicine, telehealth) offer a promise in SUD/OUD treatment during COVID19 and beyond.
Objective: 1) summarize innovations in the treatment of SUD during COVID 19, and 2) review policy changes to SUD during COVID 19.
Method: Guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), a systematic search was conducted across four databases CINAHL, Academic Search Complete, MEDLINE, and PsychInfo. Search terms included opioid use disorder, telemedicine, telehealth, substance use disorder, technology intervention, etc. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined.
Results: Twenty-nine papers were included in the final analysis. These studies used different methodologies (e.g. non-randomized comparison, retrospective chart review) and examined various topics (retention, satisfaction, policy). With the adaption of the COVID-19 protocol change, healthcare providers quickly adopted telehealth/telemedicine to treat people with SUD, and reported positive net benefits on the use of telehealth. Many researchers call for the permanent relaxing of COVID19-induced SUD policy changes to improve access to SUD care.
Conclusion: Telemedicine and telehealth improve SUD patient care and treatment outcomes. It is especially useful to rural areas where medical resources are scarce. These technological solutions will grow and make medical care accessible to people with SUD who do not prefer or can not visit providers in person. Future studies will examine how government policies on telemedicine affect SUD treatment outcomes.
Digital Transformation and Innovations on the Treatment of Substance Use Disorder During COVID-19 – Recent Evidence
Introduction: In 2019, nearly 50,000 deaths were associated with opioid overdose (CDC Injury Center, 2020). The economic costs of substance use disorder (SUD) or opioid use disorder (OUD) could be costs of healthcare, lost productivity, addiction treatment, family assistance costs, and opioid-related crimes. There are many barriers for patients with SUD, such as inability to access clinicians for medication treatment, travel distance, childcare, the stigma associated with drug use, and the intensity of traditional OUD treatment. Digital transformations and innovations in healthcare (e.g. telemedicine, telehealth) offer a promise in SUD/OUD treatment during COVID19 and beyond.
Objective: 1) summarize innovations in the treatment of SUD during COVID 19, and 2) review policy changes to SUD during COVID 19.
Method: Guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), a systematic search was conducted across four databases CINAHL, Academic Search Complete, MEDLINE, and PsychInfo. Search terms included opioid use disorder, telemedicine, telehealth, substance use disorder, technology intervention, etc. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined.
Results: Twenty-nine papers were included in the final analysis. These studies used different methodologies (e.g. non-randomized comparison, retrospective chart review) and examined various topics (retention, satisfaction, policy). With the adaption of the COVID-19 protocol change, healthcare providers quickly adopted telehealth/telemedicine to treat people with SUD, and reported positive net benefits on the use of telehealth. Many researchers call for the permanent relaxing of COVID19-induced SUD policy changes to improve access to SUD care.
Conclusion: Telemedicine and telehealth improve SUD patient care and treatment outcomes. It is especially useful to rural areas where medical resources are scarce. These technological solutions will grow and make medical care accessible to people with SUD who do not prefer or can not visit providers in person. Future studies will examine how government policies on telemedicine affect SUD treatment outcomes.